Terry Odell's Blog, page 38

Four Days

Four Days

Four more days. That’s how long until Cruising Undercover releases. I have a bottle of bubbly ready to celebrate.

If you haven’t bought your copy yet, I’d love it if you’d consider preordering it now. You’ll get it on Tuesday when it releases, and–honestly, it’s been in the top 100 New Release in 3 Amazon sub-categories. I’d love to see it hit the top 50. Or top 25. Dare I hope for top 10?

Meanwhile, I’ve been working on the next book and enjoying walks around my neighborhood with Fee...

Writing Rules – Are There Any?

Writing Rules – Are There Any?

I was going through some old file folders the other day and came across a workshop handout covering the “Rules of Writing” according to the speaker.

They’re what I’m talking about today at The Kill Zone. Join the discussion.

Oh, and it’s ONE WEEK before the ebook format for Cruising Undercover drops! (It’s already available in paperback.) Do you have your copy yet?

Another review came in: “Terry Odell unveils a fascinating mystery told from both points of view. I e...

Meet Cruising Undercover’s Belinda

Meet Cruising Undercover’s Belinda

Release Day for Cruising Undercover is 8 days away! I’m getting excited. Paperback copies are already available at Amazon.

As with all my romantic suspense books, there are two main protagonists. Here’s a first look at Belinda.

Belinda Novak closed her suitcase and tugged the zipper around the perimeter. She fastened the TSA lock and set the case in her apartment entryway. She dragged her fingers through her hair. Her own hair. Short, curly, but not a wig. “T...

Technology Issue Resolved

Technology Issue Resolved

I’ve spent a lot of time with tech support recently. As a followup to my issues with my camera, microphone, and Zoom (and Skype, as it turns out, too), I’m sharing the resolution of the issue I posted about on Monday.

First – all the support people at RODE, Logitech, Zoom, and Dell tried very hard to figure out why I couldn’t use my external microphone and my external camera at the same time at a Zoom meeting or a test Skype call. Everyone said that since everything was...

Is It Done Yet?

Is It Done Yet?

After spending several days reading my paperback proof of Cruising Undercover (and yes, finding glitches, although not TOO many), I’m finished. For now. Reading something so familiar, even in another format, means things will evade notice. Those I did notice, if they were typos or text issues, I changed in the digital version as well, and uploaded the “final” manuscript to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo. The digital release date is still August 23rd, which means I have t...

Ask An Author

Ask An Author

 

As I mentioned in last Friday’s post, I’ll be the guest speaker at the Speed City Sisters in Crime meeting on August 27th, noon Eastern time, 9 Pacific.  It’s free, open to anyone, but you have to register. Day or time doesn’t work for you? Register anyway, and you can watch the interview once the chapter puts it on their YouTube channel.

The format will be mostly Q&A. The moderator has asked if there are any topics I’d like to discuss.

Since I’m busy reading through my paperback...

Zoom, Technology, and Me

Zoom, Technology, and Me

Several months ago, I was invited to be a guest at the Speed City Sisters in Crime monthly meeting. I accepted, and got to thinking about coming across as “professional.” The internal camera on my PC, I’d learned while doing a Draft2Digital webinar, was situated so that if I looked at my screen (and hence, the interviewer), it looked as though I was staring into the sky. I bought a small external camera that I could put somewhere else.

Then, I listened to the playback, ...

More About Beginnings

More About Beginnings

Last time I talked about endings. Today, I’m talking about beginnings (doing things backward is more or less normal for me) over at The Kill Zone.

Drop over and join the discussion.

Now Available for Pre-Order: Cruising Undercover

It’s supposed to be a simple assignment aboard a luxury yacht, but soon, he’s in over his head.

The post More About Beginnings appeared first on Terry Odell.

Endings. What Works For You?

Endings. What Works For You?

They say your first page sells your book. Your last page sells the next book. But what constitutes an ending that makes readers want more without making them feel coerced? Or cheated?

I recently finished a mystery that, while it had some things I don’t care for—the ‘anonymous villain POV scenes’ and too many names that started with the same letter—they weren’t enough for me to stop reading.

The main protagonist, a medical examiner, was decently flawed. She’d been thr...

The End Means A New Beginning

The End Means A New Beginning

The paperback version of Cruising Undercover is (I hope) ready. I’ve notified my cover designer, which is a last step, because the spine size depends on the number of pages in the final version of the book. Then, assuming both pass muster with Amazon, I’ll order a proof copy for one last read through. It’ll look different from every other version I’ve been working with, so if there are any glitches left, I should spot them.

What now? I mean, there are only so many ...